In 2004, Bruce Ratner, CEO of Forest City Ratner Companies (FCRC), led an investment group that successfully bid for the New Jersey Nets. He is now the principal owner of the team. In order to achieve the goal of bringing Brooklyn its first major professional sports team in half a century, FCRC has proposed the Atlantic Yards development.

But Atlantic Yards is about much more than just basketball. The project will create space for businesses, local shops, a boutique hotel, affordable, middle-income and market-rate housing, and more than 8 acres of public open space. It will also provide jobs and other community benefits as well as a new home for Brooklyn's very own NBA franchise–the Brooklyn Nets.

Atlantic Yards is one of the most important developments in the history of Brooklyn, and it is essential that people have accurate information about what Atlantic Yards will mean for Brooklyn and for New York City.

Q: What is the size of the development, how many buildings will be built, and how tall will they be?

A: For logistic, planning and environmental review purposes, the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) has requested that FCRC combine two separate developments, Site 5 and Atlantic Yards, into the Atlantic Yards General Project Plan (GPP), which was approved by the ESDC. The 21-acre Atlantic Yards development consists of 16 buildings, which includes the 18,000-seat sports and entertainment arena; Site 5 is a parcel of land located at Fourth and Flatbush avenues and will include the development of one building.

The overall development, including Site 5, is 22 acres, with 17 buildings (including the arena), and occupies an area over seven square blocks that is roughly bounded by Flatbush and Fourth avenues to the west, Vanderbilt Avenue to the east, Atlantic Avenue to the north and Dean Street to the south.

The height of the buildings will range from approximately 190 feet to 511 feet. "B1," the building proposed to be located at the corner of Flatbush and Atlantic avenues, will be the tallest, at 511 feet. As a comparison, buildings located nearby include the Williamsburgh Savings Bank, which stands at 512 feet. In addition, building heights separate from the Atlantic Yards development of as much as 600 feet have been approved by the City Council as part of the Downtown Brooklyn Plan.

Q: How will the Atlantic Yards design fit into the surrounding area?

A: Architect Frank Gehry has designed both the individual buildings and the larger development to complement the surrounding communities, creating a sense of scale that fits the low-rise feel of the surrounding neighborhoods and the more urban feel of downtown Brooklyn. Mr. Gehry will use a combination of traditional Brooklyn building materials such as brick and stone as well as metal and glass in the design of the building facades. The buildings are spaced and sized to minimize bulk. For example, the heights of the buildings along Dean Street and Vanderbilt Avenue have been stepped down to be in conformity with the residential neighborhood, while the taller buildings of the development will be located near the commercial corridor of Flatbush and Atlantic avenues.

The award-winning landscape architect Laurie Olin, who also designed the public spaces for Battery Park City, is designing the publicly accessible open space at Atlantic Yards. FCRC is proposing over 8 acres of open public space, featuring a mix of activity areas, such as basketball and bocce courts, and areas for strolling or sitting, such as green lawns and the leafy canopy of Willow Walk.

Q: Will eminent domain be used, and how will tenants be affected?

A: When first announcing the Atlantic Yards development in 2004, FCRC promised to substantially reduce the need for eminent domain. To date, FCRC has lived up to that promise by acquiring almost all of the property needed to complete the development without the use of eminent domain. With recent acquisitions included, FCRC now owns or controls 86 percent of the land needed for Atlantic Yards, and it continues to talk with property owners. FCRC owns or controls 93 percent of all condos, co-ops and owner-occupied residential units (64 of 69 units), 88 percent of residential rental buildings (14 of 16) and 66 percent of the commercial units (29 of 44). FCRC has also agreed to a tenant-relocation program, which will provide assistance to any residential tenants who may be displaced by the development. Such tenants will also be offered comparable units in the new development at the exact same rents they are paying today.

Q: Will the new buildings and the arena bring in more traffic than the area can handle?

A: No. Atlantic Yards will be located directly over the city's third-largest subway hub, with 10 subway lines and the LIRR, which will accommodate visitors and residents of Atlantic Yards. FCRC is planning a number of programs and strategies to increase the usage of both mass transportation and alternate forms of transportation. While recognizing the potential for traffic congestion at various intersections during certain peak hours of the day, FCRC is committed to working with city and state agencies and traffic experts, such as “Gridlock” Sam Schwartz, to implement necessary mitigation measures. The public environmental review process included a thorough analysis of likely traffic impacts during all stages of construction and upon completion of the development, and FCRC has adopted a 15-point traffic-reduction plan based on the findings of that analysis.

Q: How much public money is expected for the development?

A: As with any major development, the city and state make public contributions and provide various tax benefits so that the public infrastructure (streets, utilities, sidewalks, etc.) can support the development, as well as to encourage private investment and economic growth. The city and state will earn more from Atlantic Yards in tax revenues and payments than they invest, spurring other important government initiatives such as investments in jobs, housing and improvement to public infrastructure. The City and State of New York have agreed to contribute a combined $305 million to Atlantic Yards, representing less than 8 percent of the total investment in the development. This money will be used to fund infrastructure improvements and site preparation on and around the arena site (including streets, sidewalks, utility relocation, environmental remediation, open space improvements and public parking garages).

Certain as-of-right tax benefits may also be available to FCRC, as they would be for any other developer.

Q: What is the public process for approving the various elements of the development?

A: The approval of Atlantic Yards was subject to the state's environmental review process under the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA). As pursuant to state law, on September 16, 2005, the Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC) established itself as lead agency and was responsible for overseeing the development through the public review process, which culminated in votes by the ESDC Board of Directors and the Public Authorities Control Board (PACB) in the winter of 2006.

The public environmental review process mandated by SEQRA specifically consisted of the development of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) and a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS), a number of public meetings, the establishment of development findings, the overriding of local zoning (in consultation with the City Planning Commission) and the adoption of a General Project Plan (GPP). The DEIS and FEIS describe the proposed actions, existing conditions and affected areas, and also include an analysis of the environmental impacts, reasonable alternatives and various mitigation measures.

Read more about the process of approving Atlantic Yards here.

Q: What is the expected timeline for construction?

A: Demolition and preparatory work has been under way on the site since February 2007. The project will be built in phases. We intend to break ground on the arena in 2009. Shortly after that we will break ground on the first residential tower, with a significant amount of affordable housing. We plan to complete both these buildings at the same time. The next residential tower is expected to break ground in 2010, and the final residential tower of phase one, in 2011. Of these three residential buildings, no less than 30% of the units will be dedicated to low- and middle-income households. We will then start phase two, and we anticipate finishing all of Atlantic Yards, including all of the affordable housing, by 2018.

As for B1, Frank Gehry's signature commercial tower, we hope to sign an anchor tenant soon. When we do,we will finalize plans and begin construction.

Q: In addition to the Community Benefits Agreement, what benefits can Brooklyn expect from Atlantic Yards?

A: There will be over 6,400 residential units as part of Atlantic Yards, housing that is desperately needed in the city and in Brooklyn. Of these, 4,500 will be rental units, of which 50 percent will be affordable and dedicated to low- and moderate-income families, with 10 percent of these affordable units reserved specifically for seniors. Additionally, FCRC has committed to building 600 to 1,000 affordable ownership units dedicated to low- and moderate-income families, either on- or off-site, with a minimum of 200 of those on-site. The development is expected to generate over $1 billion in net tax revenues for New York City and New York State, as well as 15,000 union construction jobs and thousands of new office jobs.